John Legend In, Lionel Richie Out For Upcoming Series ‘Duets’

Looks like Kelly Clarkson, Robin Thicke and Jennifer Nettles won’t be dancing on the ceiling with Lionel Richie on Duets, after all. The upcoming ABC singing competition series, which is set to air this summer, originally had the recent chart-topper on the bill, but he’s now dropped out due to “personal scheduling conflicts”. His replacement will be John Legend.

The premise of Duets has the four mentors traveling around the country in search of two proteges who will eventually take the stage with them each week to perform in front of a live studio audience. Their ultimate goal: winning a studio contract.

Lionel Richie’s recently-released album Tuskegee initially debuted on Billboard’s Top 200 chart behind Madonna’s MDNA, but eventually climbed to the top position, where it stayed for two weeks. It was reported in April that the singer owes the IRS $1.1 million in unpaid taxes.